For ease of explanation, I will use the 60-player model for all further details.

Players will be divided into 5 divisions of 12 according to their CC score at the time of the tournament starting. Division 1 will be the Top 12 players, Division 2 will be players 13-24, etc.

For 10 days, the players will play as many games as they can, including a mix of 2-4 player, standard, terminator and assassin, to be decided by http://www.random.org (for further details please see below).

Each game will earn players points, and at the end of the 10 days the Divisions will be frozen.

The top 2 players in each division (2-5) will automatically be promoted to the division above.The bottom 2 players in each division (1-4) will automatically be relegated to the division below.The top 2 players in Division 1 will be granted immunity from relegation in the next round.The bottom 2 players in Division 5 will begin the next round with -2 points.

Players finishing 3rd and 4th in their division will play-off against each other to decide who gets promoted.

NEW RULE: If there is a tie between 2 players for 2nd place, there will be no play-off and both players will be promoted. If there is a tie for 4th place, there will also be no play-off and the top 3 players will automatically be promoted.

Similarly, players finishing 9th and 10th in their division will play-off against each other to decide who is safe from relegation.

NEW RULE: If there is a tie between 2 players for 10th place, there will be no 9th place play-off and both players will be relegated. If there is a tie for a higher position which involves the 9th place player (but not the 10th place player), there will also be no play-off and the bottom 3 players will automatically be relegated.

All play-offs will be played on Doodle Earth.

At the end of every third round (after play-offs etc), the bottom division will be eliminated from the tournament. Play-offs, promotions and relegations will happen as normal.

Once we are down to just one division of 12 players, a double-length round will be played. At the end of this round the player who tops the division will be declared the winner!

Games should be joined with 24 hours of the PM. Failure to do so will reflect your score:Taking more than 24 hours to join a game = -2 points (a reminder will be sent out)Taking more than 48 hours to join a game = -5 points (a last 12-hour warning will be sent out)Taking more than 60 hours to join a game = you will be dropped from the tournament

Okay, real life does get in the way occasionally. But you’re still slowing down your opponents so here’s what will happen:Missing 1 turn in a game = -1 pointMissing 2 turns in a game = -3 pointsMissing 3 turns in a game = Automatic relegation to the next division

If you do end up with a slow opponent, don’t fret. Opponents will be assigned randomly, so chances are you won’t meet them more than once in a round. They’ll probably get relegated, and if you’re good enough to win the tournament you’ll still be able to gain enough points to avoid relegation.

At midnight (GMT) each day I will check for finished games. If I’m not online at midnight, then when I next sign on I will check game logs for those which finished by 11:59:59pm. I guarantee to send out your next game within the next 24 hours. If for any reason I don’t, you will be granted an extra day in which to play your games.

If, for example, 6 players in a division finish their games on the same day, I will use random.org to decide whether the next games are a 4-player and a 2-player, or two 3-player games, etc.

You don’t have to post your victories in the thread, but it’s fun if you do! Brag to the world…